There’s been a lot going on in the past few weeks and it may be that you have missed out on some of the things you would usually pick up on. If you feel as though you have disconnected with music of late, never worry, because we’ve been keeping an ear to the ground…and the internet. Here are two Glasgow related acts that have been busy of late, so if you haven’t heard them yet, check them out.

Henry and Fleetwood – Forestry
Given the small(ish) nature of the Scottish music scene, it is perfectly understandable why there is so many collaborations and joint projects between musicians from different bands. Some of these partnerships are obvious, whereas some come seemingly out of nowhere.

This is definitely the case with Henry and Fleetwood but regardless of how it came about, we should be thankful for its emergence. The duo consists of Martin John Henry, from De Rosa, and Gillian Fleetwood, from The State Broadcasters and The Duplets. They are currently working on an album that will hopefully be released in 2015 but they have just provided access to Forestry, the first song from a forthcoming EP, titled On The Forest Floor. So far, so much in touch with nature and while fans of either of these artists will be keen to have a listen, there is plenty on offer for music fans in general.

The track starts off sparsely, the male vocals carrying the song but before too long, the instrumentation starts to build and if you ever questioned on whether a harp could play a role outside the traditional folk sphere, be prepared to have your conceptions challenged. There is a sense of foreboding that progresses through the building harp runs, blending well with minimal guitar notes. The two artists also trade vocals, crossing and blending together, eventually culminating in a finish that is frantic without ever feeling as though the track runs away from itself.

While you should never take too much from just one track, the quality of the song, and the history of both artists, suggests that there is more to look out for from these two. You can follow Henry and Fleetwood here on Twitter – and if you want to hear Forestry for yourself, have a listen here:

Marnie – Wolves
There were plenty of artists who were cited and quoted on a regular basis with respect to the Independence Referendum but for some reason, the mainstream media didn’t seem to focus on the opinion of Helen Marnie. You get the feeling that there is still a lot of music fans who don’t realise that the Ladytron musician and songwriter hails from Scotland and has returned to live in the country after a few years down south.

Like many, Helen utilised her social media platforms to voice her opinions but unlike many musicians, she has also combined her art with her political beliefs. Wolves may not be strictly about the referendum, but the timing of its release, and the music video accompanying the track, certainly chime with the hopes and aspirations many of us felt in the run-up to the referendum.

The video of the song can be found below:

Having the nerve to be a bit political with a release is a good thing but more importantly, it’s a tune that stands up for itself as well. The build to the first chorus is sublime and you won’t hear too many catchier or more melodic builds this year. At Get Around Glasgow, we’ve been big fans of Ladytron for well over 10 years, so it’s no surprise that we like the solo work of Helen, but there are differences between the group’s work and her solo work. This track is scheduled to be part of Helen’s second album, hopefully on schedule for release in 2015, but debut record Crystal World is worth checking out.

When you combine this sort of musical backing with a catchy builds and choruses, you are always in danger of treading too close to disco territory but Wolves stays on the right side of the tracks of that mostly lamentable era.